Cupid's Bet
by deessedelune1
Summary: Cupid and Psyche have a bet involving Chloe and Lex. CHLEX. [COMPLETED]
1. Chapter 1

TITLE:  Cupid's Bet

AUTHOR:  Kaya

SUMMARY:  Cupid and Psyche have a bet involving Chloe and Lex.  CHLEX.

RATING: R for Language and Sexual Content

DISCLAIMER:  I own none of these people.  I just like to borrow.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:  This is an A/U piece before Exodus.

CHAPTER ONE

"Bloody wanker!" Psyche screamed at her husband as he entered their chateau.

The blonde man just looked at his mate with confusion.  "What the hell is wrong now?"

"Do you even remember what day it is?" she demanded, tears streaming down her eyes.  "You stupid, stupid imbecile."

"Ain't that statement a bit redundant?" Cupid replied, dumbfounded.  He tried racking his brain for what he had forgotten that would cause such an alarm from his wife.  He looked at the calendar and paled upon the realization.

"Oh, love," he said with concern.  "I am so, so sorry."

"Save it," she snapped.  "You have been going on and about with your stupid midlife crisis, always fussing about your job."

"I can't believe you bleeding forgot about our anniversary," she added with spite.  "You're the love god, for Zeus' sakes!"

"I'm really sorry," he mumbled.  "It's just the pressure of the job, you know.  Being this old and all.."

"Cupid, you're 5 thousand years old.  That's a touch past old."

He rolled his eyes.  "Logistics."  Psyche resigned herself to plopping down on the couch and crossing her arms, avoiding him by turning her face away from his direction.  "Love, will you ever forgive me?" he continued.

"Never."

"That's a long time now, isn't it?" was his attempt at a joke.  When his wife barely moved, he threw his hands in the air with surrender and inched closer to her.  "What can I do to make this up?"

Silence was his answer.

"Come on, Psyche," he begged.  "You can't stay mad forever."

"Try me."

"Psyche!" he whined.  "I'll do anything to make this up, I swear!"

She looked at him, one eyebrow raised.  "Anything?"

"Anything," he confirmed.

A grin began to grow on Psyche's face, causing an alarming concern for Cupid.  "Perfect," she said, smugly.  She stood up and walked to their viewing mirror.  A wave of her hand and a scene magically appeared in the looking glass before her. 

Cupid followed after her and looked at the vision she conjured.  "Uh, honey?  What is this?" he asked, confused.

"This is your retribution," she answered.  "I'm sick and tired of your complaints about your supposed incompetence, so I'm going to proposition a solution to this problem, once and for all."

Her husband's face scrounged up.  "In a rural town in Kansas?"

"Exactly," she said matter-of-factly.  "Call it a bet, if you will.  But largely on my terms."

"O-kay," he responded hesitantly.  "And what are these so-called terms?"

"Shh!" she cut him off.  "There!"  A bald man entered the view of the looking glass.

"Him?" Cupid's face darkened with doubt again.  "What about him?"

"That's Alexander Luthor, heir to the LuthorCorp throne," Psyche briefed her spouse.  "And I want you to make him fall in love."

Cupid thought for a second about the said LuthorCorp heir until he recalled something.  "But isn't he engaged?"

Psyche rolled her eyes.  "Oh, darling, you are so naïve," she sighed.  "It's the twenty-second century, sweetheart.  There is barely a correlation between matrimony and love."

"Well, duh," Cupid retorted.  "I just thought that someone as pessimistic as he is.."

"Yeah, yeah," she interjected.  "Well, he's slightly misinformed, shall we say.  But you're going to fix that."

"How?"

She smirked as a perky petite blonde entered the picture.  "With her."

"The reporter?" Cupid said with disbelief.  "But she's practically all over the farmboy.  I can just take her love vibes, squeeze a potion out of it and start a whole new business, quitting my day job in the process."

Psyche shook her head.  "Yes, but you, of all people, should know that they're barely a love match.  Look at Lex, honey.  And then at Chloe.  I think they're perfect."

By the looks of it, Cupid had yet to be convinced.  "Besides," she continued.  "If you can put them together, you'll prove to me, and most importantly to yourself, that you still have the touch."

"And what if you're wrong?"

Psyche didn't think of that.  "Well," she began.  "We can send you off to Gods Anonymous, and I'll play Goddess of Love in the meantime."

"Ha!" guffawed Cupid, earning him a glare from his wife.

"You implying that I can't do it?" she warned.  "I hardly think that you are in a position to do so."

The smile was immediately erased from Cupid's face.  "Fine," he finally surrendered.  "If you're right, I'll quit my whining, but if I'm right, I'll go to therapy."

"Perfect!" cheered his spouse.  Cupid looked at the mirror once more as Chloe Sullivan and Lex Luthor's reflections stared back at him.  'You poor, poor souls,' he thought to himself.  'You'll never know what hit you.'


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

_Disclaimers in Chapter One_

"Lex, darling, could you please hold these for me?  I'm dying to get those bangles I saw on the window at Tiffany's earlier," Helen Bryce drawled, handing over a platoon of shopping bags to her fiancée.

Lex looked at her incredulously, but he eventually resigned to grab the bags and place it on the bench next to him.  

Shopping wasn't exactly his thing, but this morning, Helen was insistent that he came along.  "Couple bonding exercise" was how she referred to it.  Yet, Lex felt no bonding from this experience at all.

Worse, he actually felt relief as he watched his fiancée walk away to another store.  Honestly, Lex could not figure out why he was still in this relationship.  If it were any other of his relationships before, he would hardly hesitate to break the wedding off.  Perhaps, the fact that the doctor had managed to finagle herself this far made things harder for him to call the whole thing off.

"A penny for your thoughts," a voice behind him said teasingly.  

With a deer in the headlight look on his face, Lex immediately turned around and shook the expression off.  "Miss Sullivan," he replied.  "Fancy meeting you here."

"Well, if I guess correctly, looks like we share a similar fate," she smiled as she walked around to face him.  "Lana dragged me here for a shopping-slash-bonding experience.  Funny how little bonding this activity actually provides."

Lex grinned, moving some of Helen's bags to make room.  "Agreed," he told her.  "I prefer a nice conversation over a cup of java."

"Absolutely," Chloe beamed as she sat down next to him.  "Nothing like caffeine to bring folks closer together.  So I take that Dr. Bryce is somewhere around here, making use of the Luthor fortune?"

"One could put it that way," Lex rolled his eyes.  "Let's just say that nothing shuts her up faster than free rein on my credit cards."

Chloe frowned at the thought.  "That hardly sounds romantic," she protested.  "You sure you know what you're getting into, Lex?"

The billionaire was surprised at her sincere concern.  "I don't know," he honestly replied.

"Well, just be careful, okay?" she added.  "You don't exactly have the best record with women."

Lex mock-glared at her.  "I should take offense to that," he joked.  "Though I know that you're in the same boat when it comes to men!"

"Hey!" Chloe exclaimed.  "Okay, okay, how about we call it a truce?"  She held her hand out to him.

Lex was about to take it when a wave of nausea came over him.  In a fast second, everything turned black, and Lex crumbled to the floor.

"Ohmigod," Chloe screamed.  "Lex!"


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

_Disclaimers in Chapter One_

Disoriented was the first sensation that came to him when he finally gained consciousness.  Attempting to open his eyes, the glare of the mall's fluorescent lights was blinding.

The only thing that he could truly sense was the sound of an angelic voice.  "Lex, are you alright?" it said.  He tried to open his eyes again, and this time, he was successful as he immediately saw a concerned Chloe holding him.  "Lex?" she asked one more time. 

"I'm fine," he muttered, struggling to regain control of all his senses.  Yet, while they had surrender control to Lex, they seemed to be flooded with everything that was Chloe: smell, sight, everything.

And Lex became intoxicated.  "Chloe?" he said dreamily.

"Yeah?" she responded as she softly stroked his cheek.  "Lex, are you okay?"

He nodded, speechless from his mixed-up feelings.  "Need to stand up," he mustered, prompting the blonde to help prop himself up.  Still unable to stand completely on his own, Chloe held on to him as he used her shoulders for leverage.

"Lex?" she asked again.  "Should I call for Helen or something?"

"No," he immediately refused.  "I'm fine."  He shook his head in an effort to clear it up and looked up.  Her eyes met his gaze, and a strong wave of emotions came rushing into him.

Not being able to fight it, Lex cupped both sides of Chloe's face gently, much to her surprise, and descended his lips to hers in a soft kiss.

Chloe's eyes grew bigger in complete amazement as his soft lips began to caress hers.  When she finally felt his tongue trying to pry in, she was snapped back to reality and forced herself to push him away.

Breathless, she managed to say "what in the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Kissing you," he pointed out as he became less frazzled and more resolute at his attraction for the young reporter.  

"Um, okay," Chloe responded sarcastically.  "Hello?  Do the words 'engaged to Helen' ring a bell?"

Lex shrugged.  "I don't love her," he uttered without hesitation, amazed that he could admit to it without any doubt.

Chloe looked at him with disbelief.  "And you figured this out after a blackout?"

"Call it an epiphany if you will," he told her.  A look into his eyes indicated nothing but sincerity.  When he tried to inch closer to her, she immediately reacted by stepping away.

"No, Lex," she said firmly.  "You must have hit your head or something.  You're not thinking clearly."

He shook his head.  "I don't think I've thought any clearer than I have now," he disagreed.  "Chloe Sullivan, I'm in love with you."


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

_Disclaimers in Chapter One_

"Why, oh, why in Zeus' name was I cursed with an imbecile for a husband?" Psyche implored the heavens for an answer as Cupid sheepishly looked at her.

"I tried, I swear," he replied, pacing back and forth.  Yet, he made sure that he was a good distance away from his wife for fear of her rather unpredictable temper.

"Well, good job," she said sarcastically, trying not to throw anything at him.  "You hit only one of our targets!  You were supposed to hit her, too."

"I might as well try hitting the Road Runner," he defended himself.  "That girl went all ninja on me when Luthor's ass fell.  All stealthy and shit."  He emphasized on Chloe's speed by waving his hands around frantically.

Psyche glared at him.  "Will you watch your mouth?  It's bad enough that you're proving yourself to be incompetent; I don't need to be given proof that you're uncouth, too."

"Sorry," Cupid mumbled, tucking his hands behind him.  "Look, I'm sorry that our plan didn't go as expected.  I'll figure out a way to hit her when she crosses paths with the billionaire again.  Which I don't doubt given his new found obsession with her."  He grinned in an effort to alleviate Psyche's anger.

Psyche rolled her eyes.  "Besides," he continued slowly.  "What are we going to do with his gold-digging fiancée?"

"I didn't think of that," she grumbled, frustrated that she did not have all grounds covered.  "Well, we can always set up her up with someone else?"

Cupid stuck his tongue out.  "Honey, the only way that woman is going to be happy is money," he informed his wife.  "Who else in this little circle could possibly have as much money as Lex Luthor?"

Psyche looked at his husband as if he was born yesterday.  "Cupid, three words:  You are slow."

"What do you mean I'm slow?" he demanded with his hands on his hips.

His wife only smiled evilly.  "Well, you are," she declared once again.  "Look, forget about it for now.  I'll tell you later.  Right now, we ought to concentrate more on Chloe."

"Fine," Cupid mumbled.  "But you'll tell me later, right?"

"Yeah, sure."

With that, she waved her hand and looked at the viewing glass again.

"Wait, wait," Lana Lang interjected her best friend's story as she handed her a cup of steaming coffee.  "Did you just say that Lex Luthor, as in co-manager of the Talon Lex Luthor, admitted to falling in love with you?"

Chloe half-smirked, taking the serving of caffeine.  "Yep."

"As in LuthorCorp scion Lex Luthor?"

The reporter responded with an exasperated sigh.  "Lana, how many other Lex Luthors are there in Smallville?"

"Sorry," the brunette mumbled as she leaned on her elbows over the counter.  "I'm just finding it hard to believe.  No offense."

"None taken," Chloe responded.  "I can't believe it, either.  One minute, he's talking to me casually.  Then he passes out, and then bam!  He wakes up in love with me.  How Wall of Weird is that?"

Lana shrugged.  "Very," she said hesitantly.  "Though I'm not that surprised really.  Well, surprised at the delivery, but not at the message."

Chloe stopped in mid-sip.  "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is," the Talon owner explained.  "That I've always sensed some UST between you and Lex."

"UST?"

"Unresolved sexual tension," Lana grinned.

"You've got to be kidding me," Chloe mock-gagged, pushing the cup away in a dramatic show of appetite loss.  "The only tension between that man and me is his fear of reporters."

"Yeah, that's why he was so eager to let you interview him."

"As a favor to Clark," the blonde pointed out.  

"Doubt it," Lana shook her head.  "Lex has a strict policy against reporters.  Even the Talon contracts contain clauses about those things.  I don't think that little interview was a favor to Clark at all."

"You are delusional," Chloe argued.

Her friend shrugged.  "Hey, just calling it as I see it."

"Well, I better see you later before you spout out any more of your crazy theories," Chloe half-joked.  She stepped off the counter stool and walked away.

Lana stared at her friend as she left the Talon.  In her mind was only one thing:  playing matchmaker for Chloe and Lex.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

_Disclaimers in Chapter One_

"Harumph," scoffed Cupid after watching the conversation between the two girls.  "Everyone wants to be a bleeding matchmaker."

Psyche looked at her husband in amusement.  "Maybe because you suck at your job," she jokingly suggested.  "So everyone else tries to step in and fix your mess-ups."

"Har, har," he replied with sarcasm.

"Besides, I think it's rather sweet that Lana would go the lengths for Chloe.  A mark of a true friendship."

"Yeah, yeah," Cupid sighed.  "I just think that in cases when mortals try to meddle with other mortals' business, they always mess up somehow."

"Hey," his wife protested.  "Last time I check, you aren't so perfect, either."

Cupid crossed his arms across his chest.  "I told you that I was having problems," grumbled the love god.

"Oh please!" she snapped.  "It's all in your head, Cupid.  If you only believed in yourself a little more, you wouldn't be having these problems."

Cupid continued to pout, much to Psyche's frustration.  "Fine," she gave up.  "Maybe you just need more practice."

"What do you mean more practice?" he inquired, curious as to what his wife had in store for him.  

She inched closer, a flirty smile on her face, as she fluttered her eyelashes at him.  This caused some suspicion in Cupid, though he cannot help but be turned on, either.

"Honey," Psyche drawled in a low, seductive tone.  She had now reached Cupid's side and began to stroke his blonde locks.  "Wouldn't it be great if Lana found love in the arms of a certain Kent farmboy?"

"Oh, no," Cupid shook his head vehemently.  "I know where you're going with this."

His wife feigned an innocent look.  "Whatever could you mean?"

"Don't do that 'whatever could you mean' stint with me," he warned, wagging his pointing finger at her.  "You said that we're only going to work on Chloe and Lex."

"Well, things changed," she defended.  "Besides, it'll get Clark and Lana off their backs..and yours for that matter."

"Ha!" he guffawed.  "You really believe that?  Those two are as nosy as my mother."

"Better not say that too loud," Psyche warned.  "Aphrodite can kick your ass anyday."

"Yeah, but she's still nosy.  And the answer is still no."

Psyche pouted.  "Please, pooh bear."  She added some fluttering of her eyebrows for good measure.

As Cupid's stubborn resolve evidently began to crumble, she threw in the clincher.  Weaving her hand through his blond locks, she whispered huskily into his ear, "I'll make it worth your while."

"Okay," the god of love croaked out immediately.  Psyche leaned back, smug with victory, much to her husband's dismay.  'But whatever makes her happy,' he thought, trying to convince himself.

"Alright, so where are they?" he asked his wife, who happily waved over the mirror to show the Talon owner and her beloved farmboy.

Clark, Lana and Pete were huddled together in the loft above the Kents' barn.  Pete was upset.  Lana just broke the news that she wanted Lex and Chloe to get together.

"Are you nuts!" he exclaimed.

Lana rolled her eyes.  "Stop being so petty," she scolded.  "You have seen the kind of chemistry those two have whenever they're around each other.  It would be a sin against nature to let that go."

The judge's son glared at her and at Clark for support.  The farmboy could only shrug in response, however.  "So they have chemistry together," Pete admitted.  "But that doesn't mean that we ought to feed the lamb to the lion."

"Good Lord!" Lana muttered.  "Will you stop being so stubborn and quit holding a grudge against the Luthors?  Or at least Lex?  This whole family feud thing is pretty archaic."

"Fine," Pete conceded.  "But I'm only doing it for Chloe's sake..and to stop you from whining any more."

"Perfect!" Lana cheered.  Pete threw an angry look at his friend for his lack of support, and Clark only shrugged once more.

"Okay, let's see," Lana started.  The room started spinning around her, and in a heartbeat, she passed out.

Pete and Clark rushed toward her as Pete started to shake her shoulder.  "Lana, are you alright?" Clark finally spoke.

"She can't answer you, Clark," Pete mocked.  "She's slightly passed-out right now."

A sheepish look crept into Clark's face as he thought of something to redeem his stupidity.  "I'll go get my parents," he suggested as he ran down and out of the barn.

Pete tried shaking Lana gently again, and this time, it worked.  The brunette slowly opened her eyes.  "Pete?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"I love you," she weakly said to him.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

_Disclaimers in Chapter One_

"Holy shit!" exclaimed Psyche as she pointed at the situation in the Kent's barn loft in disbelief.  "What the hell was that?!"

Sheepish, Cupid said nothing, resulting in a glare from his wife.  "I cannot believe that you just did that.  I told you to get Lana and Clark together, NOT Lana and Pete!"

"Well," the love god started slowly as he inched away from her.  "I didn't expect that, either.  I would have thought that Clark would rush to her rescue and Pete would go call the medics or something."

"That did not happen now, did it?" she mocked.  After a sigh of frustration, she shook her head.  "This just got more complicated that I thought.  I expect that you'll fix this?"

"Of course," he nodded without hesitation.  "I mean, the arrows I have been using are the temporary love arrows, so the effect should wear off in a day or two."

"Do you really expect these rural folks to be able to ride this craziness out in two days?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes?"

"Cupid, you can be endearing when you're stupidly slow."

"Is that a good thing?" he inquired, optimistic.  That elicited a small guffaw from Psyche as her anger was gradually pacified.  "Sometimes," she answered.  "But we have to focus here.  Why don't you check on Lex and Chloe while I try to find a solution to our Pete and Lana problem?"

"Okay," Cupid easily conceded as he walked back to the looking glass and eavesdropped on the billionaire and the reporter.

"Argh!" Chloe growled in frustration.  Lex had been driving her mad since their little incident at the mall.  Now there they were at the Talon with Chloe trying not to kill the billionaire and Lex doting on her every move.  She was given a break as he rushed to the counter to get her some coffee.

'What is wrong with him?' she thought to herself as she glanced in his direction.  Just then, he turned to look at her.  Happy that he had her attention, he cheerfully waved at her like an excited schoolgirl.  'That's something you don't see everyday,' Chloe snorted to herself.

As she continued to contemplate every possible cause that could attribute to Lex's madness, he came back, excited and happy to be at her service.  Too enthusiastic it seemed as he tripped and spilt the java all over Chloe's chest.

"Crap," he cursed as he fumbled to grab the few napkins they had on their table.  "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine," grumbled a growingly impatient Chloe.  "Just go away."

"No," he refused.  "I'll go get more napkins."  With that, he ran off to the counter.

Frustrated, Chloe took advantage of the opportunity and made her escape.  It wasn't a few steps from the Talon entrance when she ran into someone she'd rather avoid more than Lex if it were possible.  Lionel Luthor.

"Miss Sullivan," he coldly sneered, eyeing her messy shirt as if it were radioactive.  "Just the person I wanted to talk to."

"And why is that, Lionel?" she retorted with spite.

"I am concerned for my son, Miss Sullivan," he told her, eliticing a resounding "ha!" from the reporter.  "It seems as if he has taken a liking to you, and I don't like it one bit."

"Why?  Because we peasants shouldn't mix with royalty?" she mocked.

"Something like that," he replied.  "Lex has a bright future ahead of him, Miss Sullivan.  A future with Dr. Helen Bryce.  A future with Luthorcorp."

"You'll have to forgive me, Lionel, as I may sound unimpressed," she said, not knowing that Lex had caught up with her and was now at the Talon's door.  "While Lex's business is none of yours, I want to have you know that there is no interference from my behalf on whatever dim future you have in store for your son.  Or should I say whatever he has in store for himself."

"I do not like your son," she added.  "Not in the capacity that he may seemed to expect from me.  And I hope that will suffice for you, because that is all I will offer you.  Goodbye, Mr. Luthor."  She moved past the older Luthor and ran to her car.

In her wake, she left a rather smug Lionel silently mocking the patheticness of his son's futile attempts to win over a girl that was clearly not attracted to him.  Lex, on the other hand, was heartbroken.  

Chloe looked over to where the Luthor patriarch stood, and she saw Lex standing by his father.  Realizing that he might have heard her rather harsh words, Chloe found herself unable to suppress the overwhelming guilt.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

_Disclaimers in Chapter One_

 Cupid was saddened at the turn of the events.  Could Psyche be wrong in that Chloe just wasn't attracted to Lex Luthor?  The guilty look on her face as she drove away nagged at him, however.  If she truly could care less about the scion, she would have been indifferent.

Thinking that he will find his answers later, he turned to Psyche.  "Should we check on Lana and Pete to see if they haven't killed each other or something?"

His question interrupted her brainstorm of possible solutions for the Talon owner and the judge's son.  "What about Lex and Chloe?"

Cupid tried his best to look innocent and shrugged.  "They parted for the day," he lied.

Psyche accepted it rather easily as she was still preoccupied with Pete and Lana.  "Alright," she nodded.  "Where's Lana and Pete?"

Cupid waved his hand over the looking glass, and it changed scenes.  This time, it was at the Sullivan home.  Pete had offered to take Lana home, and the enamored girl could not help but take advantage.

"Come on, Pete," she goaded as she walked swiftly around the dining table.  Pete walked as fast, trying to increase the distance between them.

"I don't think so, Lana."

"Please, Pete," she begged.  "Just one kiss."

"Oh, no," he shook his head.  "No way.  Clark would kill me if he found out."  He ran out of the dining room into the living room with hopes of complete evasion.

"Clark, Schmark," Lana shrugged as she followed him into the next room, gaining more speed by the second.  "Who cares if he found out?  What matters is that you and I are together."

Pete tried to be as equally fast, but somehow, Lana's determination was surprisingly overpowering him.  "Clark has been in love with you since forever, Lana.  He'd be devastated if he sees you fawning all over me."

"But what about your feelings, Pete?"  Lana inquired as she cunningly maneuvered herself around the love seat to trick Pete.  Luckily for the young man, he outsmarted her by running toward the other side of the room.

"I don't mind the attention at all," he admitted.  "I just don't think that you're thinking straight."  He ducked once again as Lana dared to jump over the big sofa.

"I've never thought so clearly before in my whole entire life," she breathlessly declared as she chased him around the coffee table.

Their runaround distracted them from noticing Chloe's arrival.  Seeing her housemate hungrily chasing her best friend around her own living room immediately caught the reporter's attention.

"What is going on?" she demanded loudly.  Completely shocked by her presence, Pete stopped in mid-run, and Lana took the opportunity to tackle him to the ground.  

"Chloe," she said, not taking her eyes off her prey.  "Would you mind giving us a second?"

"Uh," Chloe hesitated as Pete widened his eyes at her in desperation.  "Lana, I'll need to talk to Pete for a second" was her petty attempt at rescuing her friend.

"No!" Lana resoundingly responded.  "I mean, we're busy right now."  She firmly glared at Chloe as she managed to compose herself after that outburst.

"O-kay," the blonde conceded as she stared back helplessly at Pete, shrugging that there was nothing else she could do.

Just when things couldn't get any worse, the half-open door swung open and in stepped Clark.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

_Disclaimers in Chapter One_

"What is going on?" Clark demanded as he finally saw Lana straddling Pete on the Sullivans' living room floor.

"Clark," Pete weakly replied.  "I can explain." With his strength, he toppled Lana over and stood up immediately.  Lana, still reeling from her newfound feelings for Pete, followed suit and hung herself all over him, despite Pete's futile attempts to evade her.

"I'm waiting," Clark interjected their little dance, looking at Chloe pleadingly for an explanation.  The blonde shrugged in confusion.

"I don't know, Clark," Pete said in desperation.  "She has been like this since she passed out at your house."

"Wait," Chloe interrupted.  "She passed out?"

Both men nodded.  "So did Lex before he started acting weird," she pointed out.  "It could be a meteor rock thing that's affecting them."

"Hardly, Miss Sullivan," a voice said from the doorway.

Chloe rolled her eyes.  "Last time I checked, we weren't having an open house today," she grumbled to Lex.

The billionaire walked over to her until he was practically an inch from her face.  "While you think that all of these mind games would test me from betraying my affections for you..you're dead wrong."

The blonde shook her head.  "Look, I'm sorry for being so harsh, but you have to understand that you're freaking me out."

"Listen to what the girl is saying, Lex," Helen said as she and Lionel entered the house.  Everyone groaned.  

"This house is getting way too crowded," Pete complained.

Lana nodded her head.  "I agree," she said to him huskily.  "You and I should just go get some alone time."

"That is not what I meant," he gritted at her.  

Clark stepped closer to the both of them.  "Will you two stop it?  You're confusing me!"

"You're always confused," the two retorted in unison.

Meanwhile, the other group had their own problems to worry about.  "We are engaged, Alexander!" Helen pointed out.

"I've told many times," Lex told her.  "I don't love you."

Lionel held his hand up.  "Son, you're making a grave mistake here," he started.

And Chloe interrupted.  "Oh, Lionel, put a sock in it."  That earned her a grateful look from Lex.

All the chaos within the home continued as a cacophony of petty arguments rang from within and into Mount Olympus, where Psyche and Cupid bore witness to all of it.

"This is a disaster," mumbled Psyche.  And it's all your fault."  She threw a dirty look at her husband.

"Me?" Cupid protested.  "You're the one who was so adamant about getting Lex and Chloe together."

"Yes, but you've made such a mess out of it, didn't you?"

Bitter at his wife's accusation, the love god had determined that he had enough.  "Fine," he spat out in spite.  "I'll fix this."

The group went about their petty arguments, and in an instant, all fell in a heap. 

The following night, Chloe was nervous as she separated her hands once again to keep herself from wringing them in anxiety.  It was the thirty-fifth time she glanced at the door of the restaurant.

And she only had been there for fifteen minutes.

"Are you scared?" Lana whispered to hear from across the table.  The blonde nodded a yes, resulting in a sigh from her friend.  "So am I," she confessed.

They barely got a deep breath in before their dates walked into the door.  Clark and Lex made their way to the girls and sat next to their respective dates.  

"Hi," Lex greeted his date as he handed her a bouquet of lilies.  Clark did the same on his end but with a set of white roses.

Chloe smiled.  "Thanks, Clark," she said with much appreciation as Lana looked happily at her date, Lex.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

_Disclaimers in Chapter One_

It took every bit of self-control on Psyche's behalf to stop her from wringing her husband's neck.  Cupid just fouled up big time.

And he knew it.  "Hi," he sheepishly greeted his spouse as he came into the house.

She gave him no answer.

He proceeded with caution, but as he drew too close, she threw him a glare that made him jump back in a heartbeat.

"I take it that you're still mad?" he whispered, earning him a dirtier look.

"What do you think?" she hissed.  When he didn't say a word, she continued.  "This is a disaster, Cupid.  I've asked a simple task out of you: get Lex and Chloe together.  Instead, you've done everything else but that!"

"I know, I know!" he admitted, shaking his head at his own wrongdoings.  "I'll take care of it, I promise."

"Well, you better," she threatened.  "Or else."

Cupid raised an eyebrow in suspicion.  "Or else what?"

"You'll be living with your mother."

He shuddered at the thought.  Living with Psyche was a bed of roses compared to living with Aphrodite.  "Alright, alright," he surrendered.  "I'll handle this."

"Good," Psyche huffed.  "I'm going to Hera's tea party.  Fix this before I come back."  Another pointed look was thrown in Cupid's way before she left.

A sigh of relief escaped the love god as he waved over the looking glass, which showed the date.  "Now, how am I going to fix this?" he grumbled to himself.

Meanwhile, the foursome was having an animated conversation at their table.  Lana and Clark would crack farm jokes, and Lex and Chloe would shake their heads at them as they engaged themselves in playful banter. 

Suddenly, a new waiter appeared at their table, silencing the group.  "Mr. Kent?" he inquired blindly, looking at either Lex or Clark for any indication as to which one is the right person.

"Yeah?" Clark finally replied.

"There's a phone call for you.  And another for a Miss Lang."

Lana smiled at him.  "That would be me," she said. 

Clark stood up and helped Lana out of her seat, and they both followed the waiter to the lobby.  Left alone, Chloe and Lex could barely handle themselves.  Chloe was fidgeting with her napkin, and Lex was tapping his fingertips on the table.

"So," Lex finally spoke, which startled his table companion.  

He smiled.  "Sorry," he muttered.  "I just wanted to apologize for my recent behavior."

"Don't worry about it, Lex," Chloe shook her head.  "It's just probably some Wall of Weird phenomenon that's affecting all of us.  In fact, I almost believe that this date could an aftermath effect."

"Why would you think that, Miss Sullivan?" he said teasingly, hopeful for what she was implying.  "I thought that you wanted to be at this level with Clark."

"Please," Chloe snickered.  "Clark is a good friend, but have you seen our interaction?"

Lex made no intention to respond to her question directly.  "Well, then what do you think of my date here with Lana?"

She furrowed her brows.  She really did not want to say it, but she thought that he deserved better.  "She's not your type, Lex."

"And who is, Chloe?" he challenged as every bone in his body prayed for one response.

"I don't know" was not the answer he was hoping for.  A frustrated sigh escaped his lips.

Chloe looked down at her plate, thinking that her statement was rather rude, and was about to apologize when Lex took hold of her hand and tugged at her.

"Come with me," he said coolly, but she knew by just one look into his eyes that he meant business.  She gathered her coat and purse as he left a few generous bills on the table, and she willingly followed him as he led her to the lobby and out of the restaurant where the valet was quick to bring his car.

In a matter of minutes, Lex and Chloe were speeding away from the restaurant and their dates.

The waiter hurriedly came back to the table, only to find it empty.  "Now where in the hell did they go?" Cupid, still in disguise, muttered.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N:  Thanks to everyone for your encouragement.  The reviews to all my fics have been extremely supportive, so as part of Thanksgiving, I'd like to show my appreciation to y'all by updating each one of them.  Hope you enjoy.

CHAPTER TEN

_Disclaimer in Chapter One_

"Where are we going?" Chloe finally gathered enough courage to ask Lex as he sped through the streets of Smallville with ease.

Lex smirked.  "Where do you think?"

"Your mansion."

"Smart girl," he complimented as he snuck a look at her, noticing a slight blush creeping to her face.  "A penny for your thoughts, Miss Sullivan."

"Just a penny?" she snickered, regaining her composure.  "I would have thought that you could afford more.  Unless of course, a penny is how much you value my thoughts."

"Must you always be this difficult?" he inquired.

"Must you always be so evasive?" she countered.  If Lex had not been driving, there would have been a stare-off, but there were about 5 minutes from their destination, and Lex aimed to get there safely and efficiently.

There was a brief silence until Chloe broke it.  "I'm not that difficult," she protested in a friendly tone.  "I just like to keep people on their toes."

"Nothing wrong with that," he assured her.

"Well, tell that to my dad and to my friends," she grumbled.

Lex kept his eyes on the road stoically, but he felt for the girl.  "They only do so, because they care."

"I know," she responded weakly.  She hesitated for a moment, looking at him and assessing the possibilities of his reaction, but she decided to take a chance.  "Why do you humor me?"

"I don't," he tersely replied, slightly confused as to the emotional direction of this conversation.  "I interact with you, because I like being kept on my toes."

"Do you ever lower your guard?" she pressed.

Lex waited a second before replying.  "Is this on the record?"

Hurt filled Chloe as the implication of the question hit her.  Lex noted the tension and tried to retract it right away: "I'm sorry.  That was rather harsh."

Chloe shook her head.  "No, it's okay."

"No, it's not," he insisted.  "I don't, but I want to."  He gripped the steering wheel tightly; incredulous that he just opened himself up to someone.

The blonde, sensing an opportunity, seized it.  "Tell me something that no one else knows, Lex."

Lex hesitated, gripping the steering wheel tighter.  "When my mom died," he finally spoke.  "I couldn't be there, because I was at boarding school."

"My father sent me away, because he did not want me seeing my mother in such a weak state.  The thing was that it wasn't out of concern for my mental and emotional well-being.  He did not want me to see that, because he thought that it would make me weak."

Chloe was speechless.  She has expected something trivial tidbit, but Lex had offered her something more.  Not knowing what to do, she went with her gut instinct.

She gently covered his tight fist with hers.  That small gesture was enough to flood Lex's emotional state as he quickly pulled the car over.  "He was so invested in making me strong that he failed to realize that my passion for my mother and those I love was the biggest source of my strength.  It is the thing that drives me to destroy him one day."

"You need some sort of balance for that passion, Lex," Chloe responded.  "It can't be all channeled to the destruction of one person."

Lex turned in his seat to face her as hope swelled in his chest.  "And what do you suggest that I do, Chloe?"

Chloe licked her lips and took a deep breath.  "I.." she stammered.  

Taking another breath, she looked him in the eye as she covered both sides of his face with her hand and pulled him forcefully closer, slamming her lips over hers.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

_Disclaimer in Chapter One_

The double doors to Lex's den swung open and slammed to the walls as he and Chloe walked in, lips practically mauling each other and hands roaming wherever they can be in contact with skin.

Without breaking away, Lex turned them around, aiming to move them forward to the leather sofa.  Chloe busied herself by unbuttoning his coat with little success, to which she let a groan out in frustration.  Lex smirked at her reaction as he continued to nip at her bottom lip.

"Let me," he finally murmured as he covered his hands over Chloe to move them away from the buttons, but not away from his body.  She continued to kiss him, peppering his lips, his cheeks and back to his lips with a variety of soft but assertive pecks, while he worked on his buttons.  

Inspired by the brief contact with his skin when he had moved her hands, she decided to up the ante when he finally got his coat off.  Stroking his chest over his crisp shirt, she looked up at him and revealed a smirk that almost rivaled his.  Before he could question her motives, she inched her face closer and began sucking on his lips again as her hand firmly pressed on his front side and began to lower.

'Whoa' was the closest coherent thought he had, and it immediately vanished when she reached her target.  A moan escaped his lips, but while it sounded so foreign to him as he had done nothing of the sort since he could remember, it sounded so natural and so right for Chloe.

Finally gaining her composure, Chloe began to take control as she slowly brought her hands up to Lex's chest, feeling the frustration from her partner upon the loss of her touch on his weakest point.  She moved her lips from his to his neck, where she continued to nip and peck, and when she had reached the top of his shirt, she unbuttoned the first, stopped and removed all contact from Lex altogether.  

Making sure that he was looking at her, she smirked once again, and without warning, she pulled the shirt apart, tearing the pearl buttons away from the silk.  

Lex was amazed for a second, almost not believing that she could be capable of such act.  But when she resumed to touch him and finally began to lower herself to kiss his chest, the burning in him came rushing back.  Before any rational thought escaped him forever, he asked, "Chloe, are you sure about this?"

She didn't even stop.  "Absolutely."

"I am a ninja.  A stealthy ninja," Cupid uttered to himself for the twenty-second time as he prepared to enter his home.  When he finally found the courage to enter, he was greeted by his wife, sitting stoically on the love seat facing him.  "So much for stealth," he muttered.

"So?" Psyche prodded.

He shrugged.  "So?"

"Did you fix it?"

"Well, Clark and Lana stayed at the restaurant, and Chloe and Lex left together.  If that's what you mean," he said with feigned innocence.

"You didn't, did you?" 

No amount of lying could save him now.  In surrender, he hung his head and groaned, "No."

Psyche's mask went from stoic to annoyance in a beat.  Carefully to place enough distance between them, Cupid plopped himself next to her on the love seat, burying his head in his hands.  Incoherently muttering something about retirement, he was stopped by a few words from her.

"It's a good thing that I placed back-up then."

"What?"  His head jolted up.  "What are you talking about?"

Psyche shrugged innocently.  "I just placed some love potion into the wine.  I figured that Chloe and Lex would be smart enough to figure things out eventually, and if they did, the potion would be insurance that they secure the bond."

"But honey," he protested.  "Love potions are a misnomer.  Everyone in Mount Olympus knows that once people find that they destined to be in love, they are really.."

"Aphrodisiacs?" she interjected with a knowing grin.  "They've been at it for two hours," she added as she nodded to the looking glass.

The glass showed nothing, but Cupid knew what she meant.  "You doubted me?" he smiled sadly.

"No," she assured him.  "Just played sidekick, that's all."

"So I guess you got your happy ending then?" Cupid hoped.

"Nope," Psyche shook her head.  Seeing the disappointed look on her husband's face, she closed the distance between them and covered his lips with hers.  After a long passionate kiss, she resurfaced for air and said, "Now I do."


	12. Epilogue

EPILOGUE

_Disclaimer in Chapter One_

It was a nice day for a wedding, Chloe though as she turned to catch a glimpse at Lex and smiled to herself.  It had been a whirlwind year with the outbreaks of fainting and hormone attacks in Smallville, especially among her friends, but it worked out eventually.

She was stealthily fidgeting with her elbow-high silk gloves, paying less attention than she should be at the wedding mass.  She turned again to glance at Lex, and this time, she caught him staring back at her.  Blushing, she immediately turned back.  They had been together ever since that memorable escapade at the manor, but she still couldn't help feeling the goose bumps every time he laid his eyes on her.

The shivers went up and down her spine and into her every limb, as she felt the intensity of his unwavering attention that focused on just her.  She turned again with more gumption, defying him to turn away.  Yet, he didn't, and she swore that his eyes turned dark at her bold move.

From her peripheral vision, Chloe caught sight of Helen and Lionel, and all sexual appeal immediately ran away from her body.  'Gross', she thought as she tried to erase the knowledge about the on-and-off affair between her boyfriend's father and his former girlfriend.  While Lionel was never one for recycling his lovers, it was extremely odd for everyone aware of that fact to witness him, time after time, get back together with Dr. Bryce.  Even after their huge blow-outs.

'Love gods can be really mean,' Chloe thought to herself.  Failing her attempts to focus on the ceremony at hand, she couldn't help but to turn to Lex again.  Only this time, he was looking forward.  It was Clark that was turned to her.  She was almost shocked for a second, until she realized that it wasn't her that he was focusing his attention.  She moved her head the other way, looking at her cousin, Lois.

Who knew that Clark could be such a sucker for brunettes?  Oh, wait..  Chloe almost had to suppress a fit of giggles.

Speaking of Lana, she was radiant.  Of course, getting to married can do that to a woman, even if it meant that it was to Pete.  Yes, despite his adamant protests, Pete eventually broke down and fell for Lana's, albeit weird-phenomenon-induced, charm.  After dating for a year, they finally decided to get married, and here they are in the middle of Smallville Parish, celebrating their jump into matrimonial bliss.

Finally being able to wrap her head around this wedding concept, she often wondered why Lex had not proposed to her.  After all, their relationship had been thriving excellently, especially despite Lionel's ploys of intervention.

Then the priest had pronounced two of his best friends as husband and wife.  Chloe applauded like the rest of the guests as Lana and Pete sealed their new vows with a kiss.

As the rest of the wedding party had marched down the aisle, following the lovely couple, and into their respective cars to attend the reception at the Talon, Chloe lagged behind.  She had a nagging feeling that she would, but she couldn't understand why.  Looking back into the chapel, she admired the wedding décor.  Despite its severe level of pink, many thanks to the new Mrs. Ross, Chloe found herself wishing for something similar.

"Purple would suit us more," a voice from behind interrupted her matrimonial reveries.  She quickly turned around and gave Lex a questioning smile.  

"I didn't think that pink would be your color of choice, either," she initially teased.  Then her expression grew more serious.  "But are we talking about color in general.."

"Or colors for a wedding?" he finished for her.  "I was referring to the latter, but I think a more appropriate question would be in order."

She arched an eyebrow as Lex came closer, pulling something from his pocket.  "I should have asked sooner, but between thwarting my father's diabolical plots, your journalist's adventures and Lexcorp's growth, I guess I would like to chalk it up to being busily distracted."

"But that's no excuse," he added as he displayed a purple velvet box in the palm of his right hand.  As he began to kneel, he opened the tiny container, revealing a rather hefty but classy diamond solitaire.  Chloe gasped at the extravagance.  "Lex.." she stammered.

He interjected by taking her left hand with his.  "I shouldn't have waited all of this time, Chloe.  Because I knew that, in my heart, you were the only one.  You were and always are the only one.  For me."

Tears began to gather around Chloe's eyes as she listened to what she had to say.  "You are the light of my life when I've been in the dark since my mom's death.  You made me whole again.  For that, I can only ask you one more favor."

Still speechless from his grand gesture, Chloe nodded for him to continue.  "Chloe Sullivan, will you marry me?"

By now, the tears were free falling from her eyes as she happily nodded and yelled out, "Yes!  Yes, I will marry you, Alexander Luthor."

She urged him to stand, and when he did, she threw her arms around him.  As he spun them around and around, she shouted "I love you" over and over in an attempt to announce her emotions to the world.  

Once they stopped, he took the ring from the box and slipped it into her finger.  Chucking the box behind him, which earned a giggle from her, Lex held her face in his hands.  Looking into her eyes, he said, "I love you, Chloe Sullivan" as he leaned down to cover her lips with his.

Somewhere in Mount Olympus, a couple stood in front of the looking glass, sipping on champagne and smiling at the sight of Chloe and Lex.  "Finally," Psyche said happily as she threw a sideway glance at her husband.

Smugly, Cupid twirled his arrow and grinned.  "Happy anniversary, sweetheart."

FIN.


End file.
